Sunday, April 6, 2014

Asphalt 5 HD for iPhone

Gameloft's Asphalt 5 HD is a pure arcade racer. It combines the smash 'em elements of Burnout the racing thrills of Ridge Racer into a sometimes silly but always manic speeder. If you go into this expecting a precision driving sim along the lines of Real Racing, you will be severely disappointed. But if you download Asphalt 5 with the expectation of Mr. Toad's Wild Ride with Ferraris, you will be suitably satisfied.

You are hard-hearted if you are not immediately impressed with Asphalt 5's zillion-dollar looks. As always, Gameloft delivers standout production values. The game stretches across several continents, delivering racing scenes in some of the world's most recognizable metros, like Rio de Janiero and Las Vegas, as well as lovely outdoor scenes such as Aspen. Every location is bright and loaded with detail. The car models are excellent, too. From the starting Mini Cooper S to the Ferrari 599 XX, Gameloft has done a stellar job recreating these vehicles. It's amazing that an iPhone game can easily outpace many PlayStation 2 racers in this department.